Concert: Handel's *Messiah*—a condensed full version

La Chapelle Rhénane Handel: “Messiah,” abridged complete version 4 vocal soloists, 5 instrumentalists, Benoît Haller, conductor In 2012, La Chapelle Rhénane dedicated a recording to the most famous of all oratorios, Handel’s “Messiah,” in its complete version, which runs nearly 150 minutes. Drawing on this intimate knowledge of the score, the ensemble now offers a new approach: presenting all the movements and themes of the work in a performance time cut in half, to 75 minutes. Nothing is omitted, no section is sacrificed; it is the repetitions, developments, and ritornellos that are streamlined, so that every aria, every recitative, and every chorus retains its place in the grand narrative that leads from prophecy to the Resurrection. Far from betraying the spirit of the work, this approach is in keeping with the composer’s own practice. From the premiere in Dublin in 1742 to the London performances to benefit the Foundling Hospital, Handel never ceased to adapt and reshape his work so that it would best accommodate the specific circumstances of each performance: he shortened arias, replaced choruses with arias, assigned an aria to a different vocal range, or rewrote an entire page to showcase a particular singer. *The Messiah* has never existed in a fixed form, and every performer has always offered their own interpretation. This condensed version allows the audience to experience, in a single breath, the work’s dramatic power and the sequence of its greatest moments. A program capable of bringing together a broad audience, consisting both of music lovers who will rediscover the work in a new light and of those curious to explore it, for whom this format will serve as an ideal gateway to the great Baroque oratorio. Free admission; donations welcome